Niagara’s Rental Blog

Pulled From Apartment Living - October 18, 2007

If you value a smoke-free living environment, you probably know that smokefree buildings help to protect you and your family’s health from the hazards associated with secondhand smoke. Did you know that a building that is smokefree is much less likely to catch fire? More and more renters are saying “YES!” to smokefree living and are making it an important factor in deciding where to live.

How do I find a no-smoking apartment building?
Here are some tips that will help you find an apartment that is just right for you!

Whenever you call or visit a property, ask these questions about smoking policies:

1. If the property is a smoke free property, find out if the policy applies to everyone, or just new tenants. Ask if the non-smoking rule covers indoor common areas, rental units, and any places outside.
2. Ask if there are any tenants who currently smoke inside or out, and where they smoke. If they are smoking anywhere in the building, and there is shared ventilation, it is likely that secondhand smoke will get into your unit. If they smoke outside near your windows or doors, it could also drift inside your unit.
3. Ask about enforcement. Does the landlord check to make sure no one is smoking? How would the landlord respond if you made a complaint about a smoking neighbor? If a tenant or their guest is smoking, what would the landlord do about it?
4. Are signs posted to make visitors aware of the no-smoking rule?
5. Did the previous tenant smoke? If so, what did the landlord do to clean the apartment? Restoration companies strongly recommend that after a smoker moves out, landlords should remove and replace things like carpeting and curtains, and clean all appliances, bath and lighting fixtures, tub surrounds, bath vanities and all door and window openings.

What if I already live in a building that allows smoking?
It is vitally important to have an open dialogue with your landlord if you are having a problem with secondhand smoke. If no one speaks up, landlords assume that there is no problem.

Here are some tips on how to talk to both your landlord and neighbors. Sample documents to get you started on all of these steps can be found at: www.smokefreehousingNW.com.

1. Inform your landlord in writing that you are having a problem with secondhand smoke and keep copies of all correspondence. It would be wise to send things by certified mail with a return receipt. Also, your landlord might not know the business benefits associated with going smokefree—you can print off a landlord guide that describes these benefits at: www.smokefreehousingNW.com.

2. If you are having a health problem related to the secondhand smoke, get your doctor to write a letter documenting the problem and send a copy to your landlord.
3. Ask other tenants if they are having a problem with secondhand smoke. Tell them to voice their concerns to the landlord. You can demonstrate your community’s demand for smokefree living by delivering a petition with your signatures to the landlord.
4. If you have a disability that you think is related to secondhand smoke, you may ask your landlord for “reasonable accommodations” to allow you to use your housing just like everybody else. In this instance, reasonable accommodations might include such things as adopting a no-smoking rule for your building, being moved to a non-smoking building, or providing separate ventilation or sealing off your apartment. Check with your local Fair Housing Council for help. If you are unable to remedy the problem at your current building and decide to move to a smokefree building, let the landlord know the smoke is the reason you’re moving—they need to hear that they are losing business because of secondhand smoke. Remember, the only way to avoid the health hazards of secondhand smoke is to live in a completely smokefree building.

While you are working on a long-term solution to secondhand smoke, here are some “quick fixes” to help you during that time period. Please be aware that none of these methods are 100% effective in reducing secondhand smoke.

1. Talk to the smoking neighbor:

• Your neighbor may not realize that their smoke is a problem for you. Politely let your neighbor know that smoke is coming into your apartment.
• Ask them if they would mind smoking outside or in another room so that the smoke does not get into your apartment.
• Ask them if they would be willing to have their unit insulated and sealed off, as described in Step 3.

2. Ask your landlord to improve air filtration:

• Add more fresh air intake into the ventilation system
• Clean, change, or install better filters in the ventilation system
• Restrict the amount of air exhausted through the ventilation system from the residences of tenants who smoke

3. Seal off your apartment and the smoker’s apartment:

• Install door sweeps
• Fill or patch any cracks in the walls
• Insulate the air spaces around plumbing pipes
• Insulate and place outlet covers over electrical outlets

4. Ask your landlord to move you to another unit that does not have any smoking neighbors.

5. If the complex has multiple buildings, find out if the smokers would be willing to move to one building and the nonsmokers to another building.

I’m ready to quit smoking—what’s the next step?

If you are a smoker and are ready to quit, or you know of someone who smokes and is ready to quit, please call: 1-800-QUIT-NOW. If you have internet access, please visit the “Freedom from Smoking” website: www.ffsonline.org.
For general information about the benefits of smoke free housing, as well as additional resources for renters, please visit: www.smokefreehousingNW.com.